


The Second Consort

by Nary



Category: Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells
Genre: Awkward Crush, Diplomacy, Matchmaking, Multi, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Relationship Negotiation, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:27:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28120881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nary/pseuds/Nary
Summary: "When Glow arrives, be friendly and welcoming," Ember said.  "Not scary.""Why does everyone think I'm going to scare him?"Chime said, "They can see your face when you look at him."  He paused, glancing over at Moon.  "That face, that's the one."Ember sighed.  "I remember being in his position.  It's pretty nerve-wracking coming to a new court and not knowing what's going to happen to you there - whether they're going to welcome you or shun you, whether you'll make new friends, whether a queen is going to claim you..."  He came and put a sympathetic hand on Moon's shoulder.  "Glow is probably worried about all of those things, and missing his home and clutchmates, and it's our job to try and help him relax."  For a moment Moon thought he was just being soft-hearted, until Ember added, "He won't open up and tell us what's really going on unless he's relaxed."
Relationships: Chime/Moon (Raksura), Jade/Moon (Raksura), Moon (Raksura)/Original Character
Comments: 26
Kudos: 96
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	The Second Consort

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AirgiodSLV](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AirgiodSLV/gifts).



Moon had to be present to welcome the group from Sunset Water, but that didn't mean he had to enjoy it. Jade would have had his head on a platter if he had decided not to show up, and so he dressed in his best clothes and put on his finest jewelry and stood there trying not to scowl. The queen, Zephyr, who had dealt with them before, was familiar with the Indigo Cloud court and seemed at ease there - almost too comfortable for Moon's liking. But several of the other members of the delegation were quite obviously staring, and whispering to one another about what they saw. Moon assumed they were quietly criticizing the colony tree, the court as a whole, and probably him personally as well.

Sunset Water wanted to improve their ties with Indigo Cloud, that much was obvious. Trade and sharing of important information was one thing, but they wanted a more lasting bond. The fact that they had brought along a consort gave a strong hint as to their goal. It was unusual for a consort to travel, especially an unmated one, unless there was a good reason for it. Last time Zephyr had arrived with a consort, it had been Ember, but he had been from Emerald Twilight and Zephyr had just been mediating the deal. Now she came on her own court's behalf, with another young consort in tow, hoping to make another successful match. 

The Sunset Water warriors kept the young consort in the middle of their group. He was draped with a dark green woven mantle of richly-embroidered cloth, so Moon couldn't get a good look at him until they stepped aside and Zephyr introduced him. "This is Glow, from the first clutch of my sister-queen Echo and her consort Tide." 

He stepped forward, taking his hood off, and knelt politely before Jade. He had light honey-colored hair that fell in loose curls around his face and his skin was a golden-brown shade that made for a striking contrast. Moon still didn't really have an intuitive sense of how Raksura evaluated people's looks, but he guessed this consort was handsome by the murmured intake of breath that greeted his appearance. His initial reaction was to dislike him, although he knew that was hardly fair. 

"Greetings, Glow," Jade said. Moon watched her carefully, trying to sense her response to this rather obvious gesture. She and Pearl were the only two adult queens at Indigo Cloud, so this consort was evidently meant as a prospective mate for one or the other of them. Pearl had not yet come to greet the new arrivals, presumably waiting for Jade to handle the introductions on her behalf and report back to her once she knew what they wanted. Of course Stone was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn't unusual. Jade kept a calm demeanor, but Moon could see her spines faintly twitching in suppressed reaction - annoyance, desire, or something in between?

Once the delegation were escorted to the quarters where they would be staying for the duration of their visit, Moon followed Jade on her way back to her bower. "They think they can bribe us with a consort," she grumbled.

"Can they?" Moon asked, genuinely curious. Pearl had Ember as her consort, and Jade had him, so it wasn't as if either of them was unmated, but queens, especially powerful ones, often had more than one consort. 

Jade flicked her spines in irritation. "Maybe. It depends on Pearl."

Moon didn't like the idea of sharing Jade's attention, but maybe Pearl would take this new consort and he wouldn't have to worry about it. Then again, it had been hard enough for her to make the decision to accept Ember, and another consort might be more than she could handle. Pearl was touchy and hard for Moon to predict at the best of times. Jade, on the other hand, he could read pretty well by now, and she was frustrated, and more than a little concerned.

"Do you want him for yourself?" Moon wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer, but he had to ask anyway. It had taken him so long to trust that Jade wasn't going to leave him or send him away, no matter what, and the idea of her taking a new consort made him anxious. He didn't think she would push him aside for the latest handsome face to walk into their hall, but he didn't want to take the chance either. 

Jade eyed him. "I don't know yet. What would you think if I did?"

Unsure how to respond, Moon shrugged. "Would I still be your first consort?"

"Of course you would," Jade said, putting her arms around him. "Moon, nothing changes that." That made him feel a little bit better. There had been a time when he wouldn't have believed her, but Jade had proven again and again that she was dedicated to him. So while he was still nervous about the uncertainty of this situation, and about the prospect of having to adjust to a new consort, he trusted her when she said that she wasn't going to put him aside. 

She sighed, leaning against him. "We could use the fresh blood - it isn't like we have so many lineages here. And the court is finally in a position where we have the space and the safety to expand. It could be a very good deal for us, a new consort from a good bloodline. It's almost _too_ good. It makes me wonder if there's some kind of problem with him that we don't know about. And I don't like not knowing what Sunset Water expects from us in return."

Moon hesitated, but spoke up. "I could try to talk to him. That's the kind of thing consorts are supposed to do, right?" He might not be good at most of the usual consort skills, the subtle diplomacy and charm, but he could make an attempt. 

Jade smiled. "It is. As long as you don't terrify him, all right? Maybe make sure Ember is there too, so everything goes smoothly."

* * *

Ember made sure that everything was perfect. He had hot water ready to steep tea, although he hadn't added it to the pot yet because it would get bitter if it sat there for too long. Meanwhile he had draped soft blankets in a way that made them look casually tossed on the seats, but had in fact taken ages to arrange. Moon wanted to help so Ember had given him what he strongly suspected was busy-work to keep him out of the way - to sit off to one side and pick any burrs or seeds or dirt out of the fur rug that usually lay beside the hearth. Chime had somehow found his way here as well - he'd brought in a tray of snacks and just hadn't left - and was now bustling around helping Ember fluff pillows and arrange the tea cups.

"When Glow arrives, be friendly and welcoming," Ember said. "Not scary."

"Why does everyone think I'm going to scare him?"

Chime said, "They can see your face when you look at him." He paused, glancing over at Moon. "That face, that's the one."

Ember sighed. "I remember being in his position. It's pretty nerve-wracking coming to a new court and not knowing what's going to happen to you there - whether they're going to welcome you or shun you, whether you'll make new friends, whether a queen is going to claim you..." He came and put a sympathetic hand on Moon's shoulder. "Glow is probably worried about all of those things, and missing his home and clutchmates, and it's our job to try and help him relax." For a moment Moon thought he was just being soft-hearted, until Ember added, "He won't open up and tell us what's really going on unless he's relaxed."

A pair of Sunset Water warriors brought Glow to the consorts' bower, and lingered outside the door for a moment as if to make sure he was safe. Glow smiled and waved them off, and then turned to greet Moon and Ember. "Thank you very much for welcoming me here," he said, shy but polite.

"Please, come sit with us," Ember suggested. "I'll make tea." 

He made it seem effortless, being a good host. Moon knew he shouldn't just stand there glowering, so he said, "There's food too, if you want any."

"Thank you." Glow came and perched primly on the carefully-arranged pile of pillows and blankets, as if he knew how much work it had been and didn't want to mess it up. "Your colony tree is very beautiful," he said, looking around at the chamber. "It's got so many rooms, and so much space."

Moon could remember how run down and grimy it had been when they'd first found it, and he knew there was still a lot of work to be done before Indigo Cloud could measure up to a well-established and powerful court like Emerald Twilight or Sunset Water. He wasn't sure if Glow was being sincere in his admiration or just saying what was expected of him. "There's a lot of room to grow," he settled for responding, coming to sit across from the young consort.

Ember busied himself with getting the tea ready, and Chime offered Glow some of the honeyed nuts and crispy toasted seeds he had brought. If Glow was confused about why a warrior was there, he was too polite to say anything about it. He took a small handful of the nuts and nibbled them delicately. He kept glancing up at Moon and then looking away, as if he was trying to surreptitiously get a read on him. Moon made an effort to relax his expression and not frown at the poor kid. Glow seemed relieved when Ember presented him with a cup of steaming tea and sat down beside him. Maybe it was because Ember didn't try to avoid messing up the pillows, but leaned back on them comfortably. Glow's shoulders relaxed a little and he leaned back as well - not as casually as Ember had, but at least he wasn't sitting there stiff as a spear.

"I think we met before," Ember said. "On one of your birthqueen's visits to Emerald Twilight. You were quite young, so maybe you don't remember it." Moon did some mental calculations and realized that as young as Ember still seemed to him, Glow must be even younger. He felt very old all of a sudden. Maybe this was what Stone felt like all the time. 

"Oh, I definitely remember that visit," Glow replied eagerly. "It was the first time my clutchmates and I had been away from my home court and everything was strange and remarkable to us. I couldn't stop staring - it was probably very rude of me."

"You have three clutchmates, is that right?" Ember probably knew all of this consort's lineage going back several generations, but it gave him something to talk about.

"Yes - two female warriors, Flash and Flicker, and a queen, Gleam. I miss them a lot, but it's also sort of exciting to travel on my own. Well, not on my own, but without the rest of them."

Moon thought that themed clutch names were a bit cutesy, but some Raksura really liked them. For example, Chime's siblings were Bell and Knell. He assumed the other members of this consort's clutch probably also shared his golden coloration. He tried not to imagine Jade having a clutch of little golden fledglings, and dug his fingers into his palms to keep from saying anything inappropriate. 

Chime sensed that Moon was getting tense, and laid a subtle hand on his leg, masking the gesture by leaning over to help himself to some of the refreshments. "Last time we had a visit from your court, there was a groundling trader with them, who had some very nice amber," Chime said. "Our consorts all had fine jewelry made out of it. It's too bad he didn't come this time - I'm sure people would have liked to trade with him again."

"Oh, Iglen," Glow said. "He comes to our court sometimes - see, I have a bracelet made with the stones he trades - but he hasn't been back in a little while." He held out his wrist and Ember and Chime both leaned in to admire the skill of the Arbora craftspeople who had made the piece. "But this isn't a trading visit," Glow added, and then bit his lip as if he realized he'd said something he wasn't supposed to.

Ember gave a friendly smile that Moon recognized from having been on the other side of it before. It was the 'I'm harmless, you can trust me,' look that the young consort particularly excelled at. It was a very sweet, very dangerous look. "I think we're all happy to have you here, whichever kind of visit this is," he said, smoothing over the awkward moment effortlessly.

Glow smiled back, relieved. "I'm glad to be here, too. I was worried that your court would be... not so welcoming."

"Well, we try to be welcoming," Ember said, diplomatically not adding 'except for Moon'. "What made you think we might not be?"

"It was nothing about you," Glow said hastily. "It's me. I just... I'm not always good at meeting new people. The mentors always told me I talk too much. People get the wrong impression."

"There's nothing wrong with being a good conversationalist," Ember told him. "I don't think you talk too much at all." It was probably nice for Ember to envision having another consort around who would chat with him, compared to Moon and Stone.

"Oh, that's a relief," said Glow, sipping his tea. "I get nervous around queens - ones I don't know, anyway - but you've all made me feel very comfortable."

"Why do queens make you nervous?" Moon asked. It was a somewhat unexpected reaction in a young consort raised in a healthy court, from anything he understood - Raksuran queens could exert considerable control over their courts, true, but consorts (with the exception of strange, feral ones) were usually accustomed to that, and even welcomed it. He could remember Ember talking about how Pearl made him feel safe - how her strength and power were comforting to him, because he knew it meant she would take care of him.

"Oh, uh, well," Glow said, staring into his tea. "One tried to steal me, but it didn't work. I didn't like it, and I was glad when my court took me back."

Ember and Chime and Moon all made eye contact, trying to figure out how best to respond to that shocking news. Taking a consort without the agreement of his birth court was a serious breach of protocol, and was the kind of thing courts could and had gone to war over. "That must have been frightening," Ember said gently. 

"It was," Glow agreed. "She was visiting from Turquoise Desert, and her name was Agate. She was friendly at first, but she got angry when I didn't want to leave with her. She made me... um, she made me feel like I wanted to go, but it felt wrong at the same time." He curled his hands around the warm clay cup. "My birthqueen and a group of warriors went after us and took me back. I was fine," he added quickly. "Agate... wasn't."

It sounded messy, and it definitely wasn't something that most courts would simply let blow over. Moon wondered if Sunset Water's apparent eagerness to get this handsome young consort safely mated - and settled at a relatively obscure court like Indigo Cloud - was because they worried what consequences might follow from this action. Would Turquoise Desert retaliate for the loss of a queen, even one who had made such an ill-considered decision as to abduct a consort? Was Glow less desirable as a mate to other courts who would have heard about this scandal? Were Sunset Water simply hoping that he'd be safer here, out of the way, or with a queen who could better protect him?

"I'm sorry that happened to you," Moon said, breaking the momentary silence, since even Ember seemed like he wasn't quite sure what to say. "Indigo and Cloud - the ones who gave their names to this court - the story is that she stole him, but it wasn't like what happened to you. He wanted to go, and she agreed to help him."

Glow nodded. "He came from Sunset Water originally - we remember the story there too. I know some consorts think it would be romantic to have a queen carry you off, because she wants you so much she just can't help herself, but it really isn't, in real life."

Moon couldn't agree with that more. "No one here is going to carry you off, understand? If you don't want to stay, tell us and we'll let the queens know. They can work things out with your court if they have to, but you won't get in trouble for it."

Chime nodded. "If you do stay here, it will only be because you chose to."

"That's a relief," Glow said slowly. "I think if the rest of Indigo Cloud are anything like you three, it would be a good place to stay. Please tell your queens that I'm willing to stay, but... ask them not to fight over me. I don't want to be the cause of any more fighting."

"Pearl and Jade would never do something that foolish," Ember said, as Moon and Chime simultaneously took sips of their tea.

* * *

Once Moon explained the situation to Jade, and Ember did the same with Pearl, there was really no chance of them fighting, although they might have bickered a bit. Although Moon didn't know exactly what Pearl and Jade had discussed in their conversation about the young consort, he knew that Jade had come back from it tired and a little frustrated, but not furious. Pearl already had her hands full with Ember, and didn't have the interest or energy to take on a new young consort. Jade was the better choice to deal with Glow, who clearly would need patience and space to adjust to his new situation. 

Of course, she had to act as if she didn't know the full story when dealing with the emissaries from Sunset Water, but in a way that made the negotiations easier. Knowing that they were eager to have Glow safely out of the way, she was able to extract promises from them of a basket full of the fine amber that they had so much of, and for cuttings and seeds from just about every plant in their gardens, and the right to copy books from their library when they were able to send some mentors there. She even got them to give up their formula for the dark green dye that everyone had admired so much, without too much of a fuss.

In return, Indigo Cloud provided them with twenty bricks of red tea, and a blanket of rich black fur that Moon was a little sad to see go, as well as the recipe for a simple that would help ward off the infestation of thorn-beetles that were eating their melon crop, which was something they would probably have traded to them regardless. Even Moon felt confident they'd gotten the better end of the deal. 

Zephyr made it clear that she wasn't going to leave until she knew Glow was claimed by one of the two queens. It wasn't unheard-of to leave an unmated consort with a strange court and wait for the queens there to sort it out between themselves - that was what had happened with Ember, for instance - but Zephyr seemed more cautious this time. Knowing what had happened to Glow before, that made somewhat more sense to Moon. She wanted to be sure that someone was going to look after him. Moon couldn't detect any difference once Jade had claimed Glow, but the other queens apparently could - it was a scent that only they were aware of, that let them know he was taken. Only then did Zephyr give the young consort a reassuring embrace and depart with the rest of her party.

Later that evening, Moon was giving Glow some time to settle into the consorts' bower, when Jade came up behind him, wrapping her arms around him and nipping affectionately at his neck. It felt good, knowing that her desire for him hadn't changed. "Thank you," she said. "I know it's going to take a while to get used to having him here, and that it isn't easy for you - or for Glow. I've told him I'm planning to let him take this at whatever pace he wants. We don't have to rush. But I couldn't have done this at all if you'd hated him. Having two consorts who want to kill each other sounds like the worst idea ever."

"He doesn't bother me," Moon said. "As long as he doesn't start acting like he owns the place," he added, only a little tongue in cheek. 

"He knows you're the first consort and will be for as long as I have anything to say about it," Jade said, nuzzling his shoulder. "Come to my bower and prove it?"

Much later, Moon made his way back to the consorts' bower, pleasantly sore and relaxed. He flew up to his hanging bed and was just making himself comfortable for sleep when Glow crept up shyly to the edge and said, "Can I talk to you, Moon?"

Well, he had warned them that he tended to talk too much. Biting back the urge to be grumpy with him on his first night here, Moon replied, "Sure, but come in here so you're not bothering anyone else."

Glow crept carefully into the bed, sitting with his legs folded and arms curled around them. "I know Jade wouldn't have accepted me if you'd said no. She told me that. So I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything," Moon said. "Jade makes her own decisions. I'm just keeping the peace."

"I'm not going to do anything to disrupt it, like try and challenge you," Glow reiterated. "I'm just glad to be here. I'll do what I can to help you, and Jade, and the rest of the court too."

"Good," said Moon. He was tired and more than ready for this conversation to be over, so he could go to sleep. "Get some rest and we can talk more tomorrow."

Glow nodded, but seemed reluctant to leave. "All right, but... can I stay here with you? I've always had other consorts and warriors to sleep with, and it's weird being alone."

Suppressing a groan, Moon moved over to make room for him. "Lie down, be quiet, and try to sleep."

"Thank you," Glow said happily, and curled up next to him, stealing some of the blankets in the process. He was smaller than Moon, and his instinctive urge was to wrap himself around him, both to keep him safe and to get his share of the blankets back. The younger consort didn't object, but burrowed in closer, letting out a contented little sigh. "Moon, do you and Chime have sex together?"

"Yes. Sleep. Now."

"I just wondered, because he seems close to you, and... I mean, it's fine for you to have warrior favorites, of course, I just wanted to make sure I don't say anything that might offend him, or you..."

"Glow, shut up before I reconsider." Moon left it vague whether he meant their current sleeping arrangement or the entire situation. Glow fell silent for a little while, but Moon could tell he was still restless - he kept shifting his weight and adjusting the blanket, before finally rolling over to face Moon. He looked sleepy, but something was still on his mind. "What is it?" Moon said with a stifled sigh.

"If you want to have sex with me sometime, I'd like that too," Glow said shyly. 

By now Moon was used to how forthright Raksura could be about sex, but he'd never been propositioned by his own queen's second consort before. He had no idea if that was typical or unusual, or what Jade would have to say about it. He definitely wasn't in a state of mind where he could make that kind of decision right now, but he also didn't want to offend Glow on his first night in the bower. "We'll see," he said. "Right now I'm too tired to do anything, though." That had the advantage of being completely true. 

"That's fine," Glow said, snuggling closer and giving him a little nip just below his collarbone, his breath warm and soft against Moon's skin. "I just like being here - it feels safe. Good night, Moon." He fell asleep easily after that, leaving Moon to puzzle over having somehow acquired yet another complicated relationship to navigate.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr at [naryrising](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/naryrising) if you want to ask questions, make requests, or chat!


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